West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-05-13
THE LATE DR.. ]. G. HOLLANDS
OPINION.
A Physician Climbing the Editorial Stairs

A Physician GnInDlnS tne Eui'SASA
The columns of the newspapers
appear to be flooded with proprieta-
nv medicine advertisements. Aswe
cast our eye over them, it brings to
mind an article that was published
bv the late DR.. Holland in Scrt6nerS
Monthly. He says: Nevertheless,
it is a fact that many of the best
proprietary medicines of the day
were more successful than many ply
sicians, and most of them, it should
be remembered, were at first dlscov-
cred or used in actual medical prac-
tice. When, however, any shrewd
person, knowing their virtue, and
foreseeing their popularity, secures
and advertises them, then, in the
opinion of the bigoted, all virtue
went out of them"
Is not all this absurd? This great
man appreciated the real merits OF
popular remedies. and the absurdity
of those that derided them because
public attention was called to the
article and the evidence of their
cures. If the most noted physician
should announce that he had made
study of any certain organ of dis
ease of the body, or make his sign
larger than the code size, though he
may have practiced medicine and
been q leader in all medical counsels,
Notwithstanding all this, ifhe should
presume to advertise and decline to
give his discovery to the public, he
would be pronounced quack and q
humbug, although he may have
spent his entire life and all his
available funds in perfecting his in
vestigations. Again we say, lab
surd."
If an ulcer is found upon ones
arm, and is cured by some dear soul
of a grandmother, outside of the
code, it will be pronounced by the
medical profession an ulcer of little
Importance. But if treated under
the code, causing sleepless nights
for month, with the scientific treat
ment, viz: plastefs, washes, dosing
with morphine, arsenic and other
vile substances, given to prevent
blood poisoning or deaden pain, and
vet the ulcer becomes malignant,and
amputation is made necessary ut
last, to save life, yet all done accord
inc to the '.isms" Of the medical
code, this is much more gratifying
to the medical profession, and adds
more dignity to that distinguished
order than to be cured by the dear
old grandmother's remedy.
This appears like severe ar
raignment, yet we believe that it eX-
presses the true standing of the
medical profession in regard to rem
edies discovered outside of their
special ''isms." One of the most
perplexing things of the day is the
popularity of certain remedies, eS-
pecially Warmers safe cure, which
we find for sale everywhere. The
physician Of the highest standing is
ready t. concede its merits and sus-
tain the theories the proprietors
have made-that is, that it benefits
in most of sthe ailments of the hui
man system because it assists in
putting the kidneys..in proper condi-
ton, thereby aiding in throwing of
the impurities of the blood, while
others with less honesty and eXpe-
rience deride and are willing to see
their patient die scientifically, and
according to the code, rather than
nave him cured by this great rene
dy. Yet wei notice that the popu'
larity of the medicine continues tc
grow year by year. The discoverer
comes boldly before the people with
its merits, and proclalms thehl IRON
door to door in our opinion much
more honoraDly than the physician
who, perchance, may secure pa
tient from some catastrophe, and is
permitted to set bone of an arm OF
a finger, which he does with great
dignity. vet very soon after takes
the liberty to climb the editor;
back stairs at o'clock in the morn
ing to have it announced in Tho
morning paper that ''Dr. SO and Sc
was in attend lance" and thus secures
for his benefit q beautiful and free
advertisement. We shall leave it e
our readers to say which is thu
wisest and most honorable.